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ECONOMY For cognac answer

Dangerous cognac and champagne have disappeared in the stores, according to Rospotrebnadzor data obtained during an unscheduled inspection of the markets for these drinks. “Izvestia” got acquainted with them. Only 0.86% of the investigated alcohol samples did not meet the mandatory requirements, and only 1.4% of alcohol was sold in retail with impaired. That is, it is almost impossible to poison yourself with the alcohol being sold, another question is what is sold on the shelves of stores. So, according to Roskachestvo, in the price group of 371 rubles for half a liter, the share of fakes for brandy exceeds 70%, experts say.
Preferred excise duty for Russian cognac
The establishment of a reduced fee rate will reduce the cost of the drink by 50 rubles
At the end of September 2017, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin instructed Rosalkogolregulirovaniyu (RAR), Rospotrebnadzor, Roskachestvo, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with the Prosecutor General’s Office, to conduct a comprehensive out-of-schedule inspection of the champagne and cognac markets. Representatives of the departments were supposed to inspect both the major producers of beverages and the products on the shelves in stores. In the office of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin, they noted that the departments carried out the assignment, each in their own part, the conclusions of any one of them could not be final. The principal executor is the PAP, which is responsible for conducting a comprehensive examination. The Rosalkogolregulirovanie, the Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor General’s Office and Roskachestvo “Izvestia” data on the verification is not provided.

So far, the final results of the large-scale audit have not been summarized, but Izvestia managed to get acquainted with the data of the Rospotrebnadzor, which checked 5.5 thousand licensed enterprises from October 17, 2017 to February 13, 2018. Specialists of the department checked the alcoholic products for the content of heavy metals in it, as well as for compliance with state standards on physico-chemical data. In the course of laboratory studies of 6.9 thousand samples, it turned out that only 0.86% did not meet the requirements for product composition. Among them, sparkling wines accounted for 0.92%, brandy – 0.88%, and brandy – 0.22%.

The amount of low-quality champagne has significantly decreased after the introduction of the minimum retail price, the Association of Sparkling Wine Producers said.
Illegal liquor offered to destroy on the spot
40 million liters of confiscated counterfeit alcohol accumulated in warehouses
In the Union of Cognac Producers (Soyuzkonyak), Izvestia was told that, first of all, Rospotrebnadzor was testing alcohol according to safety criteria – for example, the content of substances such as methanol. As a rule, people are not poisoned with fake brandy, otherwise this problem would have long attracted the attention of the state, noted in Soyuzkonyak. There they explained that the problem lies not in the physico-chemical indicators, which are evaluated by the Rospotrebnadzor’s laboratories, but in the falsification of the raw material itself, that is, in the use of alcohol not of grape, but of other origin. According to the latest research Roskoschestva, in the price group of 371 rubles for 0.5 liters, the share of fakes exceeds 70%, in products worth from 500 rubles – about a quarter of the total volume of cognacs, explained in the association.

In retail, employees of Rospotrebnadzor found violations in half of the 5.5 thousand verified enterprises. Basically, traders violated the requirements of the technical regulations “On food safety” – there were no accompanying documents confirming the quality and safety of the turnover of alcoholic beverages, and the conditions for its storage were not met. For the sale of alcohol without accompanying documents, which certify the legality of production and turnover, in accordance with the Administrative Code for legal entities provides a fine of up to 300 thousand rubles.

In the Association of Retail Companies (AKORT), as well as in the companies X5 Retail Group, Magnit, Auchan, Dixie, and Okay, they did not respond to the Izvestia request.

Meanwhile, the government has already received data from all agencies that conducted control activities, and is currently analyzing them for further decisions. Summary data will allow you to find out what the real situation is in the production and distribution of champagne and cognac.

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